Field of the Invention
Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to surgical devices. Specifically, embodiments disclosed herein relate to an anchor for anchoring a suture within a patient's body.
Background
In the human body, soft tissues such as tendons, ligaments, and muscles are generally attached to bones of the skeleton. In some injuries or conditions, such soft tissues may become fully or partially detached from the corresponding bones. For example, common sports injuries may include damage to tendons or ligaments in the shoulder, hip, ankle, knee, elbow, and/or foot.
To treat such injuries, it may be necessary to attach a soft tissue to a bone. For example, in the event that a tendon has been torn away from a bone, the proper treatment may include surgery to reattach the tendon to the bone.
One technique for attaching a soft tissue to a bone is to use a suture anchor to attach a suture to the bone, and tying the suture to the soft tissue. Conventionally, such suture anchors are inserted into boreholes drilled into the bone. As a result, before such an anchor can be inserted, a surgeon must first determine a borehole location, drill the borehole, and attach the suture to the anchor. Further, in the case of some conventional suture anchors, attaching the suture to the suture anchor may require tying the suture to the suture anchor. Such preparation can be tedious and time consuming, and can prolong the time required to perform a surgical operation.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a suture anchor that may be rapidly prepared and inserted in a bone without requiring extensive preparation of the bone.